Those fishing for lake trout on either northern Lake Huron or portions of Lake Michigan this season can up their take. At its April meeting, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved the following fishing regulation changes, with immediate effect:

• In the northern Lake Huron lake trout management unit MH-1, the daily possession limit is now three fish (up from a two-fish limit in 2019). This regulation now applies to all Lake Huron waters.
• In the Lake Michigan lake trout management unit MM-4, the daily possession limit is two fish (up from a one-fish limit last year).

Anglers had exceeded daily possession limits for both lake trout management units in recent years, prompting the decrease in 2019 to ensure compliance with the 2000 Consent Decree recreational harvest limits. The reduction worked, as the 2019 lake trout harvest stayed within specified limits. Managers are confident that restoring the daily possession limits to their former levels won’t result in overfishing in either lake trout management unit.

This information is updated both in the online 2020 Michigan Fishing Guide (available at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests) and on the DNR’s fishing regulations hotline (888-367-7060). For questions, contact Jay Wesley (Lake Michigan) at 616-490-5090 or Randy Claramunt (Lake Huron) at 231-622-3820.